The mayor can do for EMS what the FDNY has not

Manhattan: Your coverage of Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore advocating for EMTs and paramedics to receive compensation equal to firefighters (“Boss in medics’ corner,” Feb. 8) brings a glimmer of hope for change. You rightly note, however, that commissioners are not the decision-makers at the negotiation table, as the NYC Office of Labor Relations handles union discussions.

Kudos to Bonsignore for standing up for EMS workers, and I hope Mayor Mamdani takes heed. Yet, achieving parity is just one piece of the puzzle. When EMS joined the FDNY in 1996, there was a commitment to fully integrate medical emergency services into the department’s core mission and leadership, on par with firefighting. Yet, nearly 30 years later, this integration remains incomplete.

Reflecting on my time as the executive director of EMS in the 1980s, when it was under the Health and Hospitals Corp., I realize the need for strong executive leadership, supported by the mayor, to acknowledge EMS as fundamental to the department’s mission. This must be reflected in budget allocations, staffing, training, and performance assessments. Without a deep-rooted cultural change from the top, establishing EMS as an independent mayoral agency could better serve the city, equipping it with the necessary resources and governance to safeguard lives citywide. This would be a testament to effective, progressive public-safety management. James T. Kerr

Short on shelter

Jamaica: The “right to shelter” law stands at the heart of NYC’s homelessness issue. By law, anyone arriving from another state or country claiming homelessness is entitled to shelter, leading to quickly filled facilities. After 90 days, individuals become eligible for housing vouchers, even in new developments. This situation is not only unfair to long-time New Yorkers in need but also unsustainable, costing billions annually. Although I wasn’t initially a fan of Eric Adams, I appreciate his suggestion to revise or temporarily halt the law to manage the crisis. Mamdani, however, disagrees. As a result, expect the homeless population to grow and housing availability to shrink, especially with the city facing a $12 billion deficit that Mamdani seemed unaware of, despite warnings from Adams and others over the years. Yvonne Scibelli

Conspicuous absence

Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.: Mayor Mamdani’s absence from Archbishop Ronald Hicks’ installation is a significant affront to New York’s 3 million Catholics and all people of faith. He breaks a century-old tradition by not attending this sacred event, reinforcing his reputation as a divider. This act is utterly disrespectful. Michael P. Devine

Stealing humanity

Tamarac, Fla.: The cruelty of kidnapping, where someone is taken and held for ransom, is unimaginable. The perpetrator, motivated by revenge, greed, or mental illness, exercises power and causes immense trauma to the victim and their family, especially when proof of safety is withheld. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Savannah Guthrie and her family as they seek their elderly mother’s safe return. Those responsible for such heinous acts deserve the harshest penalties for their inhumane actions. Roberta Chaleff

Con-sistency

Manhattan: Re “Trump’s war on voting” (editorial, Feb. 5): Thanks for your pungent editorial on the subject, which could be recapped in one sentence: “He doesn’t care about the truth.” I’d add: He never did. Frankie Turchiano

Rooting wrong

New Hyde Park, L.I.: Hey President Trump, if you really want to do something good for America, deport U.S.-born skier Eileen Gu to China since she loves the damn place so much that she’s on their Olympic team. Talk about being un-American. Bob Wiecezak

Elite comeuppance

Auburndale: While it is true that we have no kings in America, at least the man who would be our king, Charles III, is holding the Epstein cohorts in his kingdom accountable for their actions. Cathi Venis

Multilingual

Newton, N.J.: To Voicer Frank Brady: What country do you live in? “English is the No. 1 language”? Please show me where in the Constitution that is indicated. There is no national language. And there are plenty of areas in the country where English is not No. 1 (Chinatown, for example). I don’t speak a word of Spanish but I understood everything Bad Bunny was symbolizing: our many cultures. The only insult to the American people is your xenophobic trolling. Michael Schnackenberg

Foreign tongue

Bronx: I am a proud lifelong NYC Democratic liberal for more than 50 years, but it is beyond me how anyone who does not understand Spanish would enjoy the halftime show — the same as if were in German, French, Chinese, Swahili, etc. For the record, ditto for operas. John Cirolia

As American as anything

Bronx: To all of you who have badmouthed the Bad Bunny halftime show: Spanish was the first European language spoken and taught in schools in the Americas. Thanks to Spanish missionaries, that not only made Spanish the universal language of the Americas, but they made the Catholic Church the first Christian religion of the Americas. Suck it up! Daniel Correa

Catalysts for violence

Madisonville, Pa.: By Voicer Charles T. Compton’s logic concerning bringing a gun to a confrontational situation, it would seem that ICE agents violate that principle regularly! They are heavily armed, as if going into battle, and are often the basis for confrontation. Tom Mielczarek

Science says so

Staten Island: To Voicer Joseph Napoleone: Let’s not focus on how cleverly humorous you are, but on how spectacularly wrong you are in your belief that global warming does not exist. Scientists from around the world, whose years of study of the Earth’s warming trends (and who know more about them than either you or I), have determined that humans who use fossil fuel to drive their cars, to heat and light their homes and to produce and use manufactured goods are rapidly introducing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere at an alarming rate, which in turn is warming the Earth’s surfaces and oceans at an equally alarming rate. While some areas may be experiencing frigid temperatures (local climate), the overall temperature of the Earth is rising (global warming). Is this so terrible? Scientists believe it is. Eileen Zanelli